I engaged this weekend and walked away considering every entrepreneur I know is a pioneer, and I discover their success and a correlation between every entrepreneur’s leadership skills. So, which comes first? Do you have to be a pioneer before you can be an entrepreneur? Or will you become an entrepreneur and also learn? Read more.

Almost, if not every, English language dictionary defines an entrepreneur as a person who sets up a business at their own risk, with the view of making a profit. Definitions have a tendency to highlight the cold logic of a word, rather than capture its essence – casting aside the drive, the passion, the epiphanies, the solution-finding and the ‘dreaming it big’ elements, which lie at the heart of the most entrepreneurial spirit. Moreover, not every entrepreneur is necessarily seeking profit; however, what is essential to the definition of an entrepreneur, is the risk taken to achieve his or her ambition. Read more.

Along with the problem of rich parents buying their kids’ way into universities of their choice, do we also have a problem with business schools focusing on entrepreneurship education that is targeted to rich kids, rich schools, and venture capital? What’s common among Richard Schulze (Best Buy), Richard Burke (UnitedHealthcare), Glen Taylor (Taylor Corporation), Earl Bakken (Medtronic), and Bob Kierlin (Fastenal)? They are all Minnesotans (Burke moved from Georgia to Minnesota). They built unicorns from startup. They were not born rich. They saw entrepreneurship as opportunity, not risk. Read more.

A new survey conducted by C+R research found beer drinkers spend an average of $59 per month on craft beer, with Millennials leading the spending pack due to their obsession with craft beer. Millennials spend an additional $5 per month because more than half said they prefer having at least one craft beer per week. 43% of Millennials said they visit a brewery or brewpub at least once a month. Read more.

Franchises don’t come in a “one size fits all” model. The same applies to franchisees, the people who run these businesses. Some people fit well in the franchisee role – others, not so much. You should have a particular set of characteristics if you want to be a successful franchisee. You may survive without them, but the process will be painful. Before diving into the role or a franchisee, vet yourself to make sure you’re the right fit for this business model. Read more.

Projected to be a $32 billion a year industry by 2022, according to a research report published by CB Insights, CBD and hemp could revolutionize the relationship between agriculture and entrepreneurship, added James DeWitt — an Olathe hemp grower and co-founder of United American Hemp. Read more.

While it’s always good to start early, a study suggests that businesses are more likely to succeed as their founders’ age increase up until about age 40. From Gordon Bowker, who founded Starbucks when he was over 50, to Vera Wang, the editor at Vogue who decided to be a famous fashion designer at the age of 40, success cannot be determined by age. It has been observed that older entrepreneurs are more adept at building resilient businesses, which is especially crucial during times of modest economic growth. Read more.

As seen in the recent post, ‘Women in Business: Is Franchising in Your Future?’, the number of female business owners is growing in terms of sheer numbers and the rate of ownership growth. Many of those business owners are women, attracted to the name recognition, support and networking that franchising offers. Read more.

Every businessman has a phase where inspiration and motivation is required from greatest leaders who ruled the field with their poise, decision-making skills, and optimism. These leaders proved their mettle via conformist or a non-conformist path with their amazing balance of thought. They also proved that for a successful businessman to make it big, there is no need to be born with a silver spoon or the path needn’t be challenge free. Some of the greatest businessmen had no mentors or formal education but still, they made a mark in the field. Read more.

Entrepreneurship is an exciting, celebrated & sought-after profession. More than being a profession, its a passion of individuals who really want to change the world through their services, products, ideas and make a lasting impact.

But with this bright side that is visible to all, including the people who embark this journey, entrepreneurship almost always has a painful, dark side to it that no one talks openly about, that a person entering this world is unaware of or grossly underestimates.

Before the riches, the celebration, the media coverage, the frenzy comes in, an entrepreneur has to struggle with daily failures, lack of resources for survival, family and friend’s pressure, social isolation due to lack of time, at the personal level.

And on professional side, an uphill task of convincing people to work for them & to join their vision and continue with it even when adversities hit in, an even tougher task to win customers who haven’t ever heard of you, to keep them happy and keep multiplying their growth while also getting access to capital without which any big idea can fail. Along with this is the onslaught of competition with newer technology, more money or any combination that could put an entrepreneur’s vision at severe risk. The breakneck speed at which all of this happens, these changes in an individual’s life who once was thrilled with his/her new idea, can throw an individual off balance and make a person susceptible to a host of emotional and mental health issues. Read more.